Gastrointestinal stimulation, or pacing, was advocated as a possible treatment for gastric motor dysfunction as early as 1963. Experimentation in the late 1960s and early 1970s, began to demonstrate the significance of gastrointestinal myoelectrical activity and its relation to contractile activity.
Stimulation of the gastrointestinal tract has been shown to be able to alter, inhibit, or excite gastrointestinal motor functions, activate intrinsic and extrinsic neuronal pathways and/or solicit hormonal/peptide releases. Because of these characteristics, gastrointestinal stimulation has been shown to be effective in normalizing gastric dysrhythmia, accelerating gastric emptying, reducing symptoms such as nausea and vomiting, and even used as in the treatment of chemotherapy-induced emesis. Recently, gastrointestinal stimulation has also been studied as a therapy for obesity.
Obesity is a growing public health problem with a lack of satisfactory treatments. Recent research seems to suggest that gastrointestinal stimulation may delay gastric emptying and thereby assist in prolonging meal intervals and reducing frequent snacking without the risks and complications of surgery. Fluid intake may also be induced by gastrointestinal stimulation so as to assist in reducing appetite, for example, by reducing the capacity for accommodating food within the gastrointestinal tract as detailed in “Therapeutic Potential of Duodenal Electrical Stimulation for Obesity: Acute Effects on Gastric Emptying and Water Intake” by Shi Liu, Xiaohua Hou, and J. D. Z. Chen in American Journal of Gastroenterology, Volume 100, pages 792-796 (2005) that is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
Several devices have been developed to provide for gastrointestinal stimulation. See GASTROINTESTINAL PACEMAKER HAVING PHASED MULTIPOINT STIMULATION (U.S. Pat. No. 5,690,691), GASTROINTESTINAL ELECTRICAL STIMULATION (U.S. Pat. No. 6,826,428), SENSOR BASED GASTROINTESTINAL ELECTRICAL STIMULATION FOR THE TREATMENT OF OBESITY OR MOTILITY DISORDERS (U.S. Patent Publication No. 2005/0222638), PROCESS FOR ELECTROSTIMULATION TREATMENT OF MORBID OBESITY (U.S. Patent Publication No. 2004/0088022), TACHYGASTRIAL ELECTRICAL STIMULATION (U.S. Patent Publication No. 2005/0222637), each of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. However, research into the practical implementations of gastrointestinal stimulation has been hindered by the invasive nature of the devices of previous gastrointestinal stimulation therapies. For example, implantable stimulator devices, currently available for treating gastric disorders and diseases, require invasive abdominal surgery that increases risks and complications associated with the procedure.
Accordingly, a less invasive means and method for delivering gastrointestinal stimuli will provide more convenient and desirable treatment options for potentially numerous disorders and diseases.